


I'm With You

by PhenomenalWoman



Series: Tann Skywalker [2]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, BAMF Anakin Skywalker, Dadakin Skywalker, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Good Dad Anakin Skywalker, Good Mom Padmé Amidala, Happy Ending, M/M, Nightmares, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a good bro, Past Slavery, There is probably more, background codywan because i'm weak, mild violence, you done fucked up sidious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26871565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenomenalWoman/pseuds/PhenomenalWoman
Summary: AKA how Palpatine fucks with Anakin Skywalker's daughter and it ends up being the last thing he ever does.~Waking up to an empty bed is quickly becoming a part of Padmé’s morning routine. Light from the bathroom streams into the bedroom and casts a spotlight onto Anakin’s side of the bed.Sweat-soaked, just like they were last morning. And the morning before that.Ever since Padmé told Anakin she is pregnant he’s been acting strange. He wakes in the dead of night, covered in sweat, and it’s like he can’t bear to be by her because he leaves in favor of standing on the balcony watching speeders go by.Padmé sighs and pushes the sheets off of her.Anakin's violent retch echoes in the bathroom and Padmé flinches and walks a little faster.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Original Twi'lek Character, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Original Twi'lek Character, Padmé Amidala & Original Twi'lek Character, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Pre CC-2224/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Tann Skywalker [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960348
Comments: 39
Kudos: 929





	I'm With You

Waking up to an empty bed is quickly becoming a part of Padmé’s morning routine. Light from the bathroom streams into the bedroom and casts a spotlight onto Anakin’s side of the bed. 

Sweat-soaked, just like they were last morning. And the morning before that. 

Ever since Padmé told Anakin she is pregnant he’s been acting strange. He wakes in the dead of night, covered in sweat, and it’s like he can’t bear to be by her because he leaves in favor of standing on the balcony watching speeders go by. 

Padmé sighs and pushes the sheets off of her. 

Anakin's violent retch echoes in the bathroom and Padmé flinches and walks a little faster.

“Anakin?”

Her husband groans in response and drops his clammy forehead against the toilet seat. His hand reaches out to search for the lever to flush the toilet until Padmé finally takes pity on him and pushes it for him. 

“Anakin,” Padmé repeats gently and sinks to her knees in front of him, “Anakin, you’re starting to worry me,” She cups his face and thumbs away a tear. The bags under his eyes have gotten so dark.

“I need to see Tann,” Anakin mumbles, pushing himself up onto unsteady feet and stumbling out the door.

Padmé, to her credit, only stares after him for a second before she’s on her feet and following him. “Tann?” She repeats, trying to keep her voice down. For all that the little girl feels safe, she still wakes at even the slightest of noises - Padmé would be surprised if she wasn’t already awake. “Ani, the sun hasn’t even come up, let her sleep-”

 _“I need to see her,”_ Anakin’s harsh words stop Padmé short and allow him to vanish into their daughter’s room. 

In all her years of being with Anakin, he’s never acted like this. Well, not since _Tatooine_ all those years ago when he was still a padawan. It scares Padmé. Anakin is different, almost like an animal. He stalked down the hallway like a man hellbent on a mission, like he would do whatever it took to complete his task. When it came to Tann, this type of single-mindedness in Anakin usually made Padmé smile, but now that she has _no clue_ where it’s coming from or what it’s about, all it’s doing is scaring her. 

“Daddy?”

Tann’s voice echoes through the hallway, and Padmé creeps closer. She can hear

Tann’s bed creak with added weight, and the rustling of sheets. 

“Daddy, w’s wrong?” Tann’s eyes are already beginning to droop again when Padmé sits gingerly on the corner of her bed.

Anakin shakes his head and tightens his grip on the little girl, “Nothing, sweetheart,” He reassures, even as he wipes furiously at his face, “Go back to sleep.” 

As a true statement to how far Tann has come, her eyes slid shut and her breathing evened out almost right away. 

“Anakin,” Padmé reaches out and rests her hand on Anakin’s leg, “You’re scaring me. Ever since I told you I’m pregnant, you’ve been-”

“We need to comm Obi-Wan.” Anakin’s low voice cuts her off. With his grip on Tann, his flesh fingers rest gently above her wrist, right where her pulse is. 

Padmé’s grip on his leg tightens minutely. “Obi-Wan?” She repeats, “Ani, are you thinking about telling him?” She knows it’s irrational, but a sliver of fear snakes up her spine. She trusts Obi-Wan with all her heart, he helped save her planet for Maker’s sake, and he’s helped keep her husband alive during the war, but Anakin wants to tell Obi-Wan about his secret family? The idea of Anakin losing his place within the Order because of _her_ makes her heart clench and throat get tight. 

Anakin’s eyes finally meet her and she has to fight the urge to shift in her seat. His eyes look so _defeated._ He looks beaten down by something Padmé had no idea he was fighting. “I need his help.”

The whispered words may as well be a scream.

~

“What do you mean you _knew?”_

Obi-Wan hides his smirk behind the cup of tea Padmé had so graciously offered him and reaches into his robe with his other hand, “Anakin you have these pinned up on your wall in the _Temple,_ you were never very subtle.” He pulls a drawing from the folds of his robe and slides it across the table.

 _“Hey!”_ Anakin snatches the drawing of three figures, each of them a different colored scribble in the middle of the page, with the name ‘Tann’ signed in big thick letters in the lower corner. Anakin smoothes the creases out near obsessively and shoots Obi-Wan a dirty look before his cheeks pinken dramatically. “You’re not mad?” 

Obi-Wan’s eyes dart behind Anakin’s shoulder where his _wife_ hovers before looking back at his former Padawan, “You’ve been more at peace and happy than I’ve seen in years,” Obi-Wan tells him softly, “How could I ever be mad at you for that?” 

It _kills_ Obi-Wan to watch as Anakin seems to experience the full range of human emotion before settling on disbelief. Has he really failed his brother so much? Did Anakin really not believe Obi-Wan would be happy for him?

“But… the Code?” Anakin hands clench, and the drawing crinkles under his grip.

Obi-Wan reaches out and gently works the paper from Anakin’s grasp. He wordlessly flattens out the wrinkles, just like Anakin had. “The Code has long needed an update,” He holds Anakin’s watery gaze, “As has the Order,” 

Unbidden, the images of Ahsoka being put on trial flash through his mind. 

“Now,” Obi-Wan clears his throat and sits up straighter, “What was it you called me here for? I imagine it wasn’t just the need to inform me of your wife and daughter that made you wake me at an unholy hour.” 

Anakin’s gaze hardens, and he glances over his shoulder to wear Padmé still hovers, now with a purple hand holding her own. “Do you remember the dreams I was having with my mother?” 

Obi-Wan frowns. How could he forget? His Padawan would wake in a tearful mess, covered in sweat almost every night leading up to her death. “Yes, I remember.” 

“Ever since Padmé told me she was pregnant,” Anakin’s voice drops, as though Obi-Wan will change his mind if he hears Anakin say it too loudly, “I’ve been having dreams of her… dying in childbirth,” His eyes clench shut, and Obi-Wan can see Padmé gently lead Tann out of the room, “But I’ve been handling it. We got top of the line doctors, done weekly checkups, and everything is fine so far. Last night I…” The knuckles on Anakin’s flesh hand turn white and his mech hand grinds against itself, “I dreamt of Tann.” 

_“Anakin-”_ Obi-Wan reaches across the table to grab his hand, and Anakin grips it like a lifeline.

“Obi-Wan, I can’t let anything happen to either of them,” Anakin’s wild eyes bore into Obi-Wan’s sole, “I don’t know how I could live with myself if I lost even one of them. _Please,_ Obi-Wan, you’re my only hope.” 

A shiver races down Obi-Wan’s spine. He ignores the voice in his head that whispers of attachment and instead squeezes Anakin’s hand once, twice, and nods, “I’m right here, Anakin, I’m not going anywhere.” 

Anakin slumps into Obi-Wan’s body, hands clinging to his robes like a child as he buries his face into Obi-Wan’s chest and _sobs._ Obi-Wan ignores how his own eyes get misty and focuses on smoothing his hand down Anakin’s back, like he used to do when Anakin was just a boy and missing his mother late at night. 

He hopes it can be enough for now. 

~

 _“It’s not working!”_

The cup of tea shatters atop the table like it had been shot. 

“Anakin-”

“No, Obi-Wan!” Anakin grabs at his hair with an unforgiving grip. 

It’s greasy, Obi-Wan notes, as though he hasn’t showered in a few days. _Poor Padmé._

“Nothing is working,” Anakin collapses to his knees and sucks in a shaky breath, “There’s nothing I can do to stop this.”

Obi-Wan carefully sidesteps the shards of ceramic on his kitchen floor and kneels down next to Anakin. He slowly pries Anakin’s fingers from his hair and runs his own fingers through the curls in an attempt to soothe his no doubt stinging scalp. “Anakin, it’ll be alright. We are going to figure this out, I promise you. Even if we have to find a specialist, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

Anakin shakes his head and coughs wetly, “No, you’ve already done too much,” He lifts his head but stubbornly refuses to look at Obi-Wan, “You gave the mission to capture Grievous to Master Mundi, and that was going to be your chance. You’ve been chasing that _sleemo_ for years, and this was your chance to finally catch him, and I-” 

“I have no regrets about handing Master Mundi the mission on Utapau,” Obi-Wan cuts in smoothly, “I would do it again if I had to.” 

“You shouldn’t have had to,” Anakin whispers, finally meeting Obi-Wan’s eyes. 

He looks, for lack of a better word, _awful._ His hair is greasy and sticking together in clumps. His skin is pale and gaunt, and his eyes are framed by heavy bags. It’s no wonder Padmé has been comming Obi-Wan to fret over her husband. He looks like death warmed over.

“Anakin, I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant you weren’t going through this alone,” He allows his side of the bond to open so that Anakin can feel his sincerity bleeding through, and his former Padawan almost immediately sags into his side.

“Should do that more often,” Anakin mumbles, eyes drifting shut.

Obi-Wan hums and settles into a more comfortable position, “Do what?” 

“Leave the bond open,” Anakin _harrumphs_ as Obi-Wan moves but settles back into him easily, “‘S nice. You’re always so closed off recently.” 

It’s a testament to how _tired_ Anakin must be that he doesn’t immediately backtrack and try to change his wording. Instead, he drifts into what will hopefully be a dreamless sleep and leaves Obi-Wan feeling as though he’d been pistol whipped by a blaster.

 _Has he truly been so distant? Did he give off the impression that he would rat Anakin out to the Council for finding happiness?_ Obi-Wan thinks back to the look of shock that was on Anakin’s face when he revealed he knew of his secret family all along. How long did Anakin think himself alone? 

Obi-Wan shifts himself so that he and Anakin are equally supporting the other’s weight and glances up at the chrono. Padmé told him that Anakin was invited to the opera with Chancellor Palpatine. He still has quite some time before he is expected at the opera house. Obi-Wan knows Anakin hates it, hates spying on his friend like this, and he in turn hates putting Anakin in this position. Obi-Wan hates that he couldn’t keep Palpatine away from Anakin as a child, and now can’t keep him away as an adult. 

It doesn’t matter. Anakin isn’t alone anymore. He has a wife, a daughter, another child on the way, and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan will Fall before he lets anything happen to the boy he’s come to care so much for.

~

 _“Anakin,”_ A voice sing-songs in Anakin’s ear.

Anakin hums and shifts, but refuses to open his eyes. Why does his bed feel so _hard?_

A warm hand pinches at his cheek, “Anakin, wake up, you’re going to be late,”

 _“Obi-Wan,”_ Anakin whines, rolling away from the offending hand. 

“Anakin, the Chancellor will be waiting for you,”

Anakin’s eyes have already slid shut by the time Obi-Wan has finished speaking. The Chancellor is waiting for him? Why would-

 _“The opera!”_ Anakin springs to his feet and wipes furiously at his tunics, “I’m ready! I’m ready,”

Obi-Wan chuckles and rises gracefully to his feet, “My friend, perhaps you should shower first? I’m afraid if you arrived smelling like _that_ you would cause quite the scene.

Anakin scowls and brings a hand up to touch his hair, “It’s not that bad is it?” 

“You smell like something Representative Binks would bathe in.” 

Anakin feels a gag rising in his throat, “Can I use your fresher?” 

Obi-Wan gestures towards the fresher door, “For the good of everyone, please do.” 

Making sure to rub firmly against Obi-Wan’s shoulder as he passes, Anakin enters Obi-Wan’s fresher, “Just for that comment, I’m using way too much of your fancy shampoo,”

He shut the door before Obi-Wan could get more than an indignant _Hey!_ out. 

~

Anakin is _definitely_ going to be late. He may or may not have lost track of time in the fresher, but if he did it was _only_ because Obi-Wan used this special body wash that smells like freshly bloomed flowers. Not that it was anyone’s business. 

“Hey, Obi-Wan, where did my-”

“Daddy!”

Tann hops up from the couch, where a half-eaten candy bar sat next to a slightly guilty looking Obi-Wan. Her purple face is smeared with chocolate, but thankfully none of it got on her pretty dress. 

“Hi, Peanut,” Anakin tightens his grip on his towel (he doesn’t want to scar his kid for life) and thumbs at the smudge of chocolate at the corner of her mouth, “What are you doing here in such a pretty dress?” 

“The Chancellor requested you bring her,” Obi-Wan answers as he folds up the chocolate bar, “Padmé dropped her off while you were in the fresher. She said Chancellor Palpatine requested to meet Tann after seeing her in the Senate building with Padmé,” His lips are drawn into a thin line of dismay, not that Anakin notices.

The Chancellor wants to meet his daughter? How perfect! He’s been such a great mentor and grandfatherly figure for Anakin, and he knows how important it is for kids Tann’s age to have those types of people in their lives. Even on Tatooine there was an elderly slave woman everyone called Grandmother, and she was the wisest person Anakin has ever met.

“Then we need to clean up your face, missy,” Anakin makes a show of licking his thumb and wiping at her mouth and cheeks, much to Tann’s dismay.

 _“Dad!”_ Tann swipes at his hand and retreats behind Obi-Wan, “Embarrassin’ me,” She mumbles as she wipes at her own face. 

Anakin grins and looks at Obi-Wan, “Where’d you put my clothes? I didn’t even hear you come in the fresher,”

Obi-Wan hums, “You were probably too busy doing a one man show of Squid Lake,” 

_“Ha-ha,_ Obi-Wan, you’re hilarious,” Anakin scowls and tries to fight down the rising heat in his cheeks, “Now where are my clothes?”

“I had Padmé drop off another pair,” He points to the neatly folded pile on the counter to Anakin’s left, “I simply _had_ to burn the clothes you came in. They were a hazard to society,” 

Anakin snatches the clothes, eager for a chance to distract Obi-Wan from his still-dark cheeks, “Yeah, well you can be the one to ask the Quartermaster for a new pair for me,” He sneaks a peek at the chrono on the wall. He’s got about twenty minutes before he’s _really_ late, and a good ten of those will be just to convince Tann to put on shoes plus however long it’ll take to dry his hair. 

“I was going to request a new robe anyways, I can’t seem to find any of them,” Obi-Wan plucks a napkin from _somewhere (_ did he keep them in a pocket? Should Anakin start doing that? It seemed like Tann was a dirty magnet, so they’d probably come in handy) and begins wiping at Tann’s face much more effectively. 

Anakin frowns, “What do you mean? Cody always goes back and finds the robes you leave behind on missions.” 

Obi-Wan’s hand falters in midair, “He-he does?” 

“Yeah, I thought he gave them back to you.”

Obi-Wan has never been more thankful for his beard as it covers the rising blush in his cheeks, “Perhaps he hasn’t had the time to do so yet,” He mutters and continues cleaning Tann’s face.

Anakin raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push any further, “If you say so,” He says carefully before disappearing back into the fresher to change.

~

Twenty five minutes later Anakin and Tann are racing up the stairs of the Opera House, Anakin leading the way with a cheeky, “Race you to the top!” that had Tann squealing in delight. 

Anakin waits at the top of the stairs for Tann to finally reach him with a smug smile. His cheeks _hurt_ as he takes in the way Tann pants and shoves her forehead into his thigh.

“You _cheated,”_ She accuses, voice slightly muffled by his trousers.

Anakin lifts her into his arms and schools his face in his best Obi-Wan impression, “A Jedi never cheats, Tann,” He informs her solemnly. 

Tann wraps her arms easily around his neck, “Cheater cheater rankweed eater,” She pants into his neck. He can still smell chocolate on her breath.

They find the Chancellor’s private box quickly after that. It was, after all, the biggest one. 

“Good evening, Chancellor,” Anakin greets, knocking once on the doorframe of the private viewing room.

“Anakin, my boy!” The Chancellor stands from his plush seat, sending a quick dismissal to his aides before shaking Anakin’s hand and smiling broadly at Tann, “And you must be Tann,”

Tann has gone ramrod straight in Anakin’s arms, and he can feel the way she trembles like a leaf in a rainstorm. Anakin frowns and bounces her once in his arms.

“Tann?” He ducks his head and murmurs into her shaking lekku. 

The little Twi’lek tightens her grip on the collar of Anakin’s robes and presses herself tighter to him.

“I’m so sorry, Chancellor, she usually doesn’t act this way-”

“Nonsense, Anakin,” Luckily, the Palpatine takes Tann’s sudden change in demeanor in stride, “I’m sure the Opera House is very overwhelming for a first time guest, especially one so young,” He reaches out and pats between Tann’s nubby lekku, and she does her best to flinch away and bury herself in Anakin’s side, “But children her age usually fall right asleep,”

Anakin frowns. Maybe he should call Padmé? He wouldn’t want to force Tann to stay here, she’s obviously terrified of _something._ But Tann has never acted this way around new people. She’s been shy, for sure, but trembling and completely nonverbal? 

“Please, sit!” Palpatine gestures to the two chairs and sits back down in the one he had stood up from to greet Anakin and Tann.

As soon as Anakin sits down, Tann crawls to the side furthest from Palpatine and wedges herself firmly under his arm. Her tiny hands hold his dark robes in a vice grip. 

“Have you heard the news about the location of Grievous?” Palpatine eyes glance down once at the purple bundle doing her best to absorb into her father before looking back up at Anakin, “He’s hiding in the Utapau system,”

Anakin’s eyes dart to Tann. He and Padmé do their best to avoid all war talk when Tann is by, but she doesn’t seem to be paying much attention. Her eyes are shut so tight Anakin almost thinks he’ll have to pry them back open. 

“Yes,” He finally answers when he’s sure Tann isn’t paying close attention, “We’ll finally be able to catch that monster and win this war,” 

Palpatine leans closer, as though he’s sharing some secret, “I honestly worry about the collective wisdom of the Council. You were the best choice by far the lead the assignment,” He shakes his head in disappointment, “but, of course we can’t always trust the Council to do the right thing,” He continues speaking before Anakin can get a word in edgewise, “And of course I have the utmost respect for Master Kenobi, but choosing him over you, and then him giving the mission to someone _else?”_ Palpatine tuts in dismay.

Anakin shifts uncomfortably. Usually when the Chancellor praises him like this it fills him with warmth, like he imagines a proud father would do with his son. But now, with Tann still trembling beside him he finds he can’t properly focus on Palpatine’s words. 

“The Council tries their best,” Anakin responds slowly. His tongue feels thick in his mouth as he actually _defends_ the Council. What has the galaxy come to?

“Anakin,” Palpatine lowers his voice as the lights in the Opera House dim, “You know I’m not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven’t included you in their plot, they soon will.”

What? What plot? “I’m not sure I understand,” Anakin admits, drawing his gaze away from his daughter.

Palpatine’s eyebrows knit together in desperation, “You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They’re planning to betray me,” 

_What?_ Anytime he’s spoken with any Council Member or Master, they all just can’t wait for the war to _end._ Jedi were never supposed to be Generals, they were peacekeepers. The Order has been stretched thin enough as it is, Anakin doesn’t think _controlling the Republic_ would help that out.

“I don’t think-”

“Anakin, search your feelings. You know, don’t you?”

Anakin hesitates. None of this seems _right,_ but why would Palpatine lie? “I know they don’t trust you,” He finally admits, averting his eyes towards the stage, where a Mon Calamari stands in full costume, although he can’t make heads or tails what she’s supposed to be.

“Or the Senate, or the Republic,” Palpatine agrees, “Or democracy for that matter.”

“I’ll admit, my trust in them has been shaken,” _Why is he telling Palpatine all this?_ Well, why _shouldn’t_ he tell Palpatine about this? The Chancellor has always been a trusted mentor in Anakin’s life, he’s told him almost everything, even the most awful things he’s done.

“Why?” Palpatine asks, even as his eyes drift towards Tann, who’s tremors have finally started to subside. “They are going to make you choose,” He answers his own question, voice low in realization. 

Anakin shifts in his seat. He knows what he would choose, if it ever came down to it, but he was planning on leaving the Order once the war ended. He would move to Naboo, be a house husband like he found himself thinking more and more of, and enjoy his life with his wife and children. 

“If the Order truly cared for you, they wouldn’t make you choose. They wish to control you, Anakin,” Palpatine urges, “You’ve been so useful to the Order that they can’t bear to lose you,”

Anakin shakes his head, “I don’t-”

“All those who gain power are afraid to lose it, Anakin,” Palpatine quotes an early teaching from the temple, “Even the Jedi,”

Anakin shakes his head again, quick enough that he can catch a whiff of Obi-Wan’s shampoo, “The Jedi use their power for good,”

“Good is a point of view, Anakin.The Dark Lords of the Sith believe in security and justice also, yet they are considered by the Jedi to be evil,” Palpatine frowns and Anakin is _way too sober_ to be having a conversation about this. “The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for power. The difference between the two is the Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force. That is why they are more powerful.”

Anakin’s arm around Tann has slowly been becoming tighter and tighter until Tann finally makes a high sound of discomfort that has Anakin immediately apologizing. He ducks his head to murmur sincerities into her temple and he tries not to think about the confliction swirling in his stomach.

“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?” Palpatine asks once Tann has been settled. 

“No,” Anakin answers quietly and he keeps his eyes trained on the handrail just behind Palpatine’s head.

Palpatine hums, “I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even prevent the ones he cared about from dying…”

~

Anakin leaves the Opera House in a doozy. He finds himself moving on autopilot as he buckles Tann into her booster seat in his speeder. He makes the turns with a half a brain, and it’s either sheer luck or by will of the Force that he doesn’t get into an accident. 

Padmé finds him leaning heavily on the wall outside of Tann’s room, staring blankly at the wall in front of him, “Ani?”

He blinks once, twice, before finally seeming to realize she’s speaking to him, “Oh, Padmé,” He frowns and shakes his head, pushing himself off the wall.

“Did everything go alright at the Opera?” She curls herself into his side, slinging an arm around his waist as they walk towards their bedroom.

“I just had a very interesting conversation with the Chancellor, that’s all,” He responds, although she must see on his face that there’s more he isn’t saying.

“How did Tann do?” She asks instead, guiding him towards the bed and pushing him to take a seat. 

Anakin frowns at the mention of his daughter, “She acted so strange,” He admits, “She was perfectly fine all the way up until we got in the Chancellor’s private box. As soon as she saw him it was like she clammed up, and she didn’t say a word the rest of the time there.” 

Padmé glances over her shoulder at the doorway, as if Tann’s small frame will be there waiting for a hug or some type of reassurance, “How strange,” She echoes, “Did she say anything to you after?”

Anakin pulls off his tunics, “Just that she didn’t like the Chancellor…”

He will never admit it, but it really disappointed him that Tann has some strange aversion to Palpatine. The man hadn’t said anything unkind, or been anything other than welcoming, and Anakin had been looking forward to Tann having the grandfather figure that he had. 

“Well you know how some kids are with older people,” Padmé reasons as she slides into bed next to him, “In fact, there was an advisor that I could hardly stand to be in a room with when I was first elected as queen,” She presses her cold feet into Anakin’s shins and relishes in his grunt of discomfort, “He was the oldest man I’d ever seen,”

“Older than Master Yoda?” Anakin asks, hiding his goofy smile in Padmé's nest of curly hair.

Padmé giggles and slides her arms around Anakin’s waist, “Oh, older I’d imagine,” 

Anakin pulls her tight to him, cold feet be damned, “I love you, Angel,” He whispers into her temple.

“I love you too, Ani,” 

( _“Is it possible to learn this power?”)_

Anakin closes his eyes.

( _“Not from a Jedi.”)_

~

Anakin almost doesn’t make it to the toilet the next morning before he’s throwing up.

~

“Master Windu wants you to tell the Chancellor that Master Mundi has made contact with Grievous,” Padmé informs him as they brush their teeth, “He says Palpatine’s reaction will give them a clue of his intentions.”

Anakin shoots her a surprised look through the mirror and spits out the foamy toothpaste, “And where did you hear that?”

Padmé grins through a mouthful of white bubbles, “Obi-Wan told me,” 

“And _why_ did Obi-Wan tell you before me?” 

Padmé spits out her mouth and rinses thoroughly before responding, “Because him and I make quite the _Team,”_ She takes great joy in reminding Anakin of the holonet’s nicknames for the both of them. The Negotiator and the Hero With No Fear, Skywalker and Kenobi, The Team.

“You’re not funny,” Anakin says with narrowed eyes, even as his lips threaten to quirk upwards. He flicks water still dripping from his hands at Padmé and grins at the ensuing squeal. He’s quick to scamper from the fresher before Padmé can press her chronically cold fingers to his sensitive ribs like she’s so fond of doing.

It’s nice to pretend he isn’t committing treason of the highest form by spying on the Chancellor.

~

“- Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the dark side of the Force, Anakin, and you will be able to save your wife and child from certain death.”

Anakin stops short. The walls of the Chancellor’s office seem to shrink while he simultaneously grows too big for his skin. “What did you say?”

Anakin’s not the fastest guy when it comes to things like politics and word games, but this conversation with Palpatine has definitely raised a few red flags. Palpatine knew the dark side of the Force? He thought the Jedi were clouding Anakin’s vision to try and control him?

“Use my knowledge,” Palpatine continues, “I beg you,”

Anakin’s _definitely_ too big for his skin now. It feels stretched thin and like it might crack and tear at the slightest move. He let this man near his _daughter_ , near his _wife._

 _“You’re the Sith Lord!”_ He stumbles back, lightsaber ignited swiftly between one breath and the next. 

“Are you going to kill me?” Palpatine asks easily, as though he knows the answer and is just toying with Anakin. 

And Anakin _doesn’t have an answer._ Palpatine can _save_ his family. But all Sith do is _lie._ Anakin feels his pulse speed up. He thinks of how Tann flinched violently when Palpatine patted her head, and how she trembled for almost an hour afterwards and only fell asleep because Anakin pushed a soft Force compulsion to make her drift off. How the next morning Tann looked at him with such betrayal, like she couldn’t believe he would make her be near such a man.

“You touched my daughter…”

“Now, Anakin-”

The Force crackles at Anakin’s fingertips, and everything but the _monster_ in front of him fades away, _“You touched my fucking daughter.”_

Anakin’s first swing with his lightsaber is blocked by Palpatine’s own, hidden up his sleeve.

~

_“Anakin!”_

“Master Kenobi! Obi-Wan!” Mace Windu chases after said Jedi, three more Masters following close behind him as they race towards the Chancellor’s office.

They had received a transmission from Knight Skywalker not ten minutes ago, a barely coherent shout about the Chancellor being the Sith Lord, complete with the clashing of lightsabers in the background before it cut out. They all fear the worst. 

Obi-Wan throws the large doors to the Chancellor’s office open with a startling display of the Force, lightsaber drawn at the ready before he stops short.

“Anakin?” 

He’s slumped next to the lifeless body of Sheev Palpatine. His lightsaber lays extinguished several meters away, and the knuckles on both hands, mechanical and flesh, are caked with still fresh blood. There’s a light splatter of it across his jaw.

The smell of electricity is present in the air. Anakin’s hair is standing on end and charred remains of a leather glove hang off of some parts of Anakin’s metal hand, as though it melted right off. Every few seconds, Anakin’s body is wracked with tremors he can’t control. 

A severed hand, still clutching an ignited red lightsaber rests right next to the body. 

_“He touched my daughter,”_ Anakin murmurs, eyes glazed over. Has he even registered the four Jedi that burst into the room? 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan steps closer, extinguishing both his and the red saber as he kneels next to his former Padawan, “It’s alright, it’s over,” 

Bloody hands fly out and grab at Obi-Wan’s shoulders, “I let him by my daughter,” He repeats, and it’s like a dam has been broken. Like a marionette puppet whose strings have been cut, Anakin collapses against Obi-Wan, and now sobs join the aftershocks of Force Electricity wracking his body. “He touched my daughter,” Anakin repeats again, “ _I let him touch my daughter, I let him, I let him-”_

Mace Windu observes in shock. He extinguishes his lightsaber with numb fingers and watches as Obi-Wan wraps his arms tight around Anakin, murmuring unheard reassurances in his ear. His eyes drift to the body of the _Sith Lord._ It wasn’t smoking, like one tends to do after being cut down with a lightsaber. Mace’s eyes drift back to Anakin’s cut and bleeding knuckles. How much of that blood is _his?_

_No._ It doesn’t matter. The Force feels more clear than it has in decades, and Mace Windu can’t find a single shatterpoint surrounding Knight Skywalker. 

It's over. The Clone Wars is finally, blessedly over.

~

Anakin resigns from the Order without much fanfare.

Okay, he makes _one_ witty joke to a caged Maul, who was brought back from Mandalore with _Ahsoka,_ who in turn gets a hug that borders on too tight. 

( _“Anakin, you’re crushing me!”_

_“I missed you, Snips,”_

_“... I missed you too, Skyguy,”)_

He walks down the Temple stairs with Ahsoka on one side and Obi-Wan, who had approached the Council in the same way Anakin had and offered up his lightsaber and position in the Order. 

His wife and child, safe, sound and _alive_ wait for him at the bottom. Anakin feels like his heart might burst as he watches Ahsoka kneel down and introduce herself to Tann, who smiles toothily and reaches out with a gentle finger to trace one of Ahsoka’s cheek markings. 

He looks to his left and sees Obi-Wan staring at new citizen Cody Fett, who steps closer to Anakin’s old Master with a faint blush and an outstretched hand. Anakin looks away before Obi-Wan catches him staring and gets embarrassed. 

Anakin presses a firm kiss to Padmé’s lips, one hand drifting down to her belly where he can feel two ( _two!!)_ strong heartbeats and Force signatures, before he scoops Tann up with an exaggerated grunt and sets her atop his shoulders. Tann’s pudgy hands fist too-tightly in his hair, and Anakin doesn’t even care. He rests his elbow on Ahsoka’s shoulder, who is starting to become too tall to use as an arm rest although Anakin would rather die before admitting that she’s going to be taller than him, and turns to face the whole group.

“You guys want to get dinner at Dex’s?” 

~

There’s too many of them to be crammed comfortably into a booth, but it’s worth it to see Ahsoka and Tann draw pictures of the other on the back of a kid’s menu with a pack of crayon Dex had so generously given them. Worth it to be able to press a kiss to Padmé’s cheek without fear of who might be around to see. Worth it to see the blush and genuine smile creep up on Obi-Wan’s face when Cody takes his hand and whispers something in his ear. 

It’s worth it to be surrounded by his family.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I had a brain worm that just wouldn't let me rest until I wrote this and now it's like the longest thing I've ever written. As always, all mistakes are my own, and there will probably be a lot because I stayed up so late writing this. All comments are loved and appreciated! Love you all <3


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